FILE PHOTO: Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo speaks to the media during a news conference at Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City, Mexico May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
July 11, 2018
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The next meeting about the North American Free Trade Agreement will likely take place in Washington during the last week of July, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Wednesday.
Speaking at an event in Mexico City, Guajardo said that he was working out the details of the meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
“The responsibility that I have … is to seek out every opportunity to bring this agreement to a solution that works for everyone,” Guajardo said. “If there is room before the end of this administration, we will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to conclude (negotiations).”
Mexico’s president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is due to take office on Dec. 1.
The United States, Canada and Mexico have been negotiating to revamp the 24-year-old trade pact since August, but talks have stalled over U.S. demands on autos and other issues.
(Reporting by Sharay Angulo; writing by Julia Love; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
